This invention relates in general to skin care products and, more specifically, to a product for treating acne and other skin disorders.
A great many different cosmetic and skin treatment products are available. Many are very complex formulations containing a wide variety of ingredients. For example, a commercially available moisturizing cream lists as its ingredients: water, mineral oil, petrolatum, glycerin, isohexadecane, ozokerite, microcrystalline wax, lanolin, alcohol, paraffin, magnesium sulfate, dodecyl oleate, octyl dodecanol, aluminum stearate, fragrance, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, citric acid, and magnesium stearate. Another popular skin healing cream contains, in addition to zinc oxide as the active ingredient, "Norwegian cod liver oil, rich in natural vitamins A and D, plus lanolin, petrolatum, talcum, . . . ". Studies have shown, however, that many ingredients in currently marketed cosmetic products are often comedogenic or irritating to the skin of many people. For example, J. E. Fulton in "Let's Talk Cosmetics", Acne Research Institute Inc., 1977, mentions as strongly comedogenic PEG 16 lanolin, acetylated lanolin, ethoxylated lanolin, stearic acid isopropyl myristate, myristyl myristate, isopropyl isostearate, hexadecyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, cocoa butter, coconut butter, many vegetable oils, sodium lauryl sulfate, tocopherol (vitamin E), among others. Thus, the very products which are intended to protect or heal the skin are often the cause of further irritation and comedones (blackheads). Also, some people have allergic reactions to some ingredients in these prior products.
Mineral oil and petrolatum are usually considered to be neither comedogenic nor irritating to the skin. However, mineral oil and petrolatum are very ill defined products, being mixtures of paraffinic hydrocarbons. Lower molecular weight components, such as hexane, heptane or octane are actually highly irritating substances and may cause "oil acne". They have a defattening action on the skin which may lead to irritation and infection. Kerosene which is sometimes used as a solvent in cosmetics is a mixture of petroleum hydrocarbons having chain lengths of from about 10 to 18, isolated by fractional distillation. It has a defattening action on the skin and may give rise to irritation, as mentioned in the Merck Index, 10th Edition, 761, 1983.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improved skin care products which prevent and treat acne and other skin irritations without adding to the skin irritation or causing allergic or other detrimental reactions.